Bill > H467

This bill aims to improve student retention in charter schools by modifying existing laws related to their operation. It clarifies that charter schools must be open to all students on a space-available basis and cannot discriminate based on various factors, including academic achievement or past behavior, and prohibits application fees or tuition charges. The bill also stipulates that student acceptance and retention cannot be based on interviews, contracts, or requirements that would not be used to exclude or expel a student from a regular public school. Furthermore, it requires charter schools to maintain detailed records of students who withdraw, including demographic and academic information, and report this data annually to the Board, while also setting stricter guidelines for student expulsion and suspension, ensuring they are not for minor infractions or poor academic performance. For charter renewal, the bill introduces new requirements, including a majority vote from the local school committee and collective bargaining unit for Horace Mann charter schools, and mandates that Commonwealth charter schools demonstrate models for replication and best practices, and that their student attrition rates do not exceed those of the local district. The bill also enhances reporting requirements for charter schools, demanding more detailed financial statements, information on how tuition funds are used, compensation for staff, and the source and use of surplus funds, along with requiring independent annual audits. Finally, it mandates the collection and annual reporting of comprehensive student enrollment and exit data, including reasons for departure, by race, gender, language, special needs, and poverty status, to the state legislature and relevant committees.